On 13 June EU ambassadors confirmed an agreementreached on 6 June 2018 between the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council and the European Parliament representatives on modernising the existing rules on the provision ofaudiovisual media services in Europe.

Good policy-making involves ensuring that our rules are up to date and reflect modern technology. As a result of this agreement on audiovisual media services we will be better equipped to protect consumers and children, fight the spread of hate speech and safeguard media pluralism and independence.

Boil Banov, minister for culture of the Republic of Bulgaria and president of the Council

The proposal for a revision of the directive on the provision of audiovisual media services in the light of changing market realities (AVMSD) was presented by the Commission in 2016after a thorough evaluation of the previous 2010 AVMSD.

This evaluation highlighted the need to ensure a level playing field between the traditional broadcasting sector i.e. television, and new services like video on-demand services, video-sharing platforms, and the audiovisual content on social networks, to better protect viewers, encourage innovation and promote European audiovisual content.

The new rules will:

create a level playing field betweenall operators in protecting viewers, independently from the service they provide and the platform they use. This means that users will get equal protection whether they are watching a film on traditional tv or an on-demand tv. Moreover the protection of minors and all usersfrom violent or harmful content, as well as hate speech, will be improved by introducing a clear responsibility for video-sharing platforms. Member states will be able to take action through their national audiovisual regulators against those operators not respecting the rules

increase cultural diversity and promote European content, as providers of on-demand audiovisual media services will have to ensure that at least 30% of their catalogues consist of European content and that this is given adequate prominence

free up resources to be invested in the production of European content as member states may require a financial contribution from tv and on-demand media service providers, including those established in another member state, with exemptions that could make life easier for start-ups and small companies

improve cooperation between member states' audiovisual authorities by strengthening the European regulators group for audiovisual media services (ERGA) and setting out its role in EU law

guarantee flexibility as member states will be able to adapt the rules to national circumstances and even adopt stricter rules if they so wish

Next steps

Now that the agreement has been confirmed by EU ambassadors on behalf of the Council, the directive will be submitted to the European Parliament for a vote at first reading, and subsequently to the Council for adoption.

The directive will enter into force on the 20th day after its publication on the Official Journal of the EU and member states will have 21 months to transpose it into national legislation.

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Source: OECD
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Source: EU Commission Related policies Audiovisual & Media ServicesSupporting media and digital culture The European Commission has decided,
on the basis of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD), that
the Swedish intention to impose their ban on alcohol advertising on two
broadcasters based in the UK and broadcasting in Sweden is not
compatible with EU law. The
AVMSD is based on the principle of the country of origin, according to
which broadcasters are subject solely to the rules of the Member State
where they are established, including when they broadcast to other EU
countries. The AVMSD does not prohibit alcohol advertising, but allows
Member States to apply stricter rules, including a full ban, on
broadcasters under their jurisdiction. Such a ban exists in Sweden.

In order to impose such a ban on the UK broadcasters, Sweden should
have demonstrated, under the specific procedure contained in Article 4
of the AVMS
directive, that the broadcasters in question e…